Degradation of Education in Swaziland

On Monday, the 19th of January 2015, the Swazi nation woke up to an order by King Mswati’s regime that schools which were meant to reopen on the 20th of January, should remain closed and to reopen on the 27th of January due to ongoing national duties (i.e. until the king's fields are weeded).

The order by King Mswati’s regime, that schools must remain closed until the kings field are weeded, is a serious promotion of child labour, and a serious violation - virtually the same as to denying learners right to education - it is wrong for children to miss out on school over a man’s field weeded ceremony. It is absolutely a disgrace how the government of Swaziland fails to prioritize important issues… whatever Mswati III commands takes priority over anything else. How can weeding the king's fields be more important than education, this is seriously a mock of our education system.

Sadly education in Swaziland is taken for granted, the Mswati regime constantly neglects the education system, by treating certain branches of its services far better than others, resources meant to improve the education system are diverted to sustain parasitic royal rule.

Schools in Swaziland are poorly equipped, school children hardly have access to books, school fees set up by the government are soaring thus preventing many children from attending school, because parents cannot afford to pay these high fees. Education is the right for every child, we therefore call on the Mswati regime to provide quality free education for all learners in Swaziland and to put an end to child labour.